Attorneys, in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The firm was established in 1956, by Dudley Haines. Christopher James joined him in 1974 and took over the practice in 1977 when Dudley Haines retired. In 1978 Chris James was joined by with Heander De Ridder and Gerald Truter, two young practitioners formerly working for Frans Slabbert in both Empangeni and Richards Bay. From 1978 the practice operated under the name Truter James De Ridder in both Richards Bay and Empangeni. In 2011 the Richards Bay office merged with another Richards Bay firm.
Clive Kelly is now the sole director of the company.
As a practice we have always committed ourselves to make a contribution to the community, and to legal services in the Province, and apart from all partners having served on local school boards and Councils, Gerald Truter served as a Town Councillor and as Mayor of Richards Bay for many years. Chris James served as the Chairman of the Zululand Legal Circle and committee member for several years, as a Councillor for the KwaZulu-Natal Law Society for 6 years and a member of the South African Law Society Ethics Committee for 2 years. He also served on various environmental bodies in Zululand.